React and Interact

Pair: Marie and Sarah (friendship) ((No, really, I'm still using the random number generator. This was pure coincidence.))

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It wasn't often one of the Kanker sisters would venture out on her own. If they weren't in a group, then they were in a pair. They somehow seemed less frightening when it was just one of them. As Ed once put it, "they share their awesome power amongst themselves, for together they amount to more than a hill of bean monsters!" In plain English, it essentially meant they were more powerful together. More terrifying, nastier, and bolder.

Alone, this was not so much the case. They could still prove to be terrifying, nasty, and bold, but it was less likely to hold water with someone who wasn't used to being pushed around. Someone like Sarah, for instance.

This is why, so it was later theorized, when Marie happened upon Sarah playing in the lane and tried to bully her, the younger girl bullied right back. "Hey, twerp, you got any money?" Marie inquired, nudging the kneeling red-head with the toe of her shoe.

"What's it to you?" Sarah inquired, pushing away the other girl's food and standing up.

That response, in itself, was rather unprecedented, but Marie was not deterred. "I'm hungry and I'm thinkin' of getting some lunch, that's what it's to me." The blue-haired girl growled, frowning full-force at Sarah.

"Yeah? Well, I'm not giving my money to a bully like you!" Sarah replied, pulling out her best scowl to match Marie's.

"That so?" Marie's voice grew low.

"Yeah. That is so." Sarah answered, her own voice daring the other girl to do something about it.

"Well I wasn't exactly askin'!"

Sarah hesitated for a moment. Could she really take on a Kanker sister- even a lone one? Pride won out over self-preservation and she crossed her arms over her chest. "Then why don't you come and get it?"

The ensuing scuffle would have been one for the cul-de-sac history books, had anyone actually been watching. As it was, the two girls were later surprised their noise didn't attract any onlookers. There was quite a lot of screaming; of pain, of profanities, and of world-class grade school trash talk. Finally, Sarah seemed to have the upper hand and managed to get Marie on her back.

They both took a moment to catch their breath as Marie looked up in surprise at Sarah's snarling face before the blue-haired girl started laughing. Caught off-guard, Sarah found herself being kicked off the older girl and half-way back across the lane. Marie was still sitting on the ground and laughing when Sarah managed to sit up, herself. "Hey, you're pretty good, squirt." She giggled, pushing her hair off one side of her face.

Sarah eyed the girl warily. "Thanks. You too."

"Yeah. Where'd you learn that spinning thing you did?" Marie leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees.

"Oh, that's something out of one of Ed's dumb comics. He does it all the time when he's pretending to fight zombies or whatever." The red-head rolled her eyes.

"No kidding."

The conversation continued like that for some time, forming the foundation of a confusing and slightly violent friendship that would last for years to come.

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Words: 524

Author's Note: Man, I seem to be unable to stay under my limit lately… But on another note, 17 down, 112 to go…